E-mail, Feeds, 'n' Stuff

Monday, November 12, 2012

Vestas cans head of Portland office

The troubled Danish windmill maker at whom Oregon taxpayers have thrown tens of millions is now bringing in Chris Brown, above, a city bureaucrat from Detroit, to take over its U.S. show. Detroit's finances are in such bad shape that there's been talk of shipping Brown out of there since last spring. He lasted less than two years in Motown, and he's bounced around like a pinball in his career, which started out in law school:

A native of Delaware, Brown holds a bachelor's degree in political science from the University of Delaware, was a Fulbright Scholar in finance and economics at Bonn University and earned a law degree from Pennsylvania-based Villanova University.

After graduating from law school in 1987, Brown worked as legal counsel at two East Coast law firms, transitioning from legal counsel to business development in 1992 at Baltimore-based Constellation Energy. He moved overseas in 1994, establishing an Asian office for U.S. utility Entergy Power Group. He joined Singapore Power in 1996, where he served as a senior vice president and managing director.

Brown left Singapore Power in February 2004. He took a job with Ann Arbor-based DTE Energy Resources in 2005, a position he left in 2008, when he became CEO of New Jersey-based wind farm Deepwater Wind. That position lasted six months, ending in December 2008. When he joined the city, Brown's résumé listed his current position as founder and CEO of Ann Arbor-based Brown Equity Group.

He became Bing's COO in January 2011. He earns about $141,000 a year, after a 10 percent pay cut taken by all Bing appointees.

How long will he last in Portland? Eighteen months or less would be our guess.

Road Work

Miles run year to date: 5
At this date last year: 3
Total run in 2017: 113
In 2016: 155
In 2015: 271
In 2014: 401
In 2013: 257
In 2012: 129
In 2011: 113
In 2010: 125
In 2009: 67
In 2008: 28
In 2007: 113
In 2006: 100
In 2005: 149
In 2004: 204
In 2003: 269